Another Brother?‼
by ShinyTogeticFTW
Summary: "Please, you've got to believe me… I really want to change!" James pleaded; Brock was, understandably, skeptical. The ex-Rocket seemed sincere enough, but just how far will it go before something gives? Can the two of them make this work? After having taken care of Ash and his traveling partners like they were his actual siblings, the last thing Brock needs is another 'brother'...
1. I Really Want to Change

Another Brother?!

"Please, you've got to believe me… I really want to change!" James pleaded.

"And why should I? After everything you've done to us?" Brock was, understandably, skeptical.

Brock had been on his way to the store to pick up some things his mother had asked him to buy when, out of the blue, James of Team Rocket had approached him. Before he could even reach for a Poké Ball to battle him, Brock had found his hands being gripped tightly. To his utter astonishment, James had clasped Brock's hands in his own, dropped to his knees, and begged to be allowed to join the "twerp group" on their next adventure.

Now James bowed his head. "I realize we've put you through a lot – Jessie, Meowth, and I – but that's precisely why I want to join you! After everything that's happened, I feel a connection… Like we weren't meant to be enemies…"

Brock raised an eyebrow. "What on Earth makes you think we _could_ be anything but enemies?" Here he yanked his hands out of James' grip. "And, moreover, how do I know this isn't just another ploy to get Pikachu?"

"Oh, come on! You've got to admit we have some things in common!" He had looked up at Brock, but saw no reaction. James folded his hands in front of him and continued, "Don't you remember the Hearthome Collection? Or the Pokémon Ping Pong Tournament in Sandalstraw Town? We sat together in the stands; even though I didn't let on that it was me, you and I talked like we had known each other forever!"

"But… Wait, that was you?" Brock stuttered, shocked.

James nodded. He understood the tall twerp's reluctance to accept him, but if there was ever a time that he really meant what he said, this was it. Lately it was getting harder and harder to stay motivated doing evil; not to mention the fact that the original twerp had gone home after the last tournament, so there was no chasing to be done. Jessie and Meowth had been concocting their usual plans for getting him when his guard was down, but the more they talked about it the more James could only think of all the times they had been beaten – and why.

Once Brock regained his composure, he said, "Alright, let's say for a minute I believe you… How do you expect me to explain your presence to Ash?"

"Just tell him I'm a long-lost relative," James suggested, thinking that Brock's family was so large it wouldn't sound too far-fetched.

"I really don't need another brother…" Brock muttered figuratively; after all, he took care of Ash and his traveling partners as if they were a few of his nine actual siblings.

"Brother? That's perfect! I could be your brother!"

"Except… there's just one problem…" Brock said sarcastically. "We look nothing like each other!"

"I could always don a disguise–" James started to say.

"Focus!" Brock interrupted, snapping his fingers in front of James' face. "If you're really serious about this, it has to be who you are… _permanently_! No costumes, no makeup, no disguises of any kind, got it?"

"Okay, nothing superficial… I'll dye my hair; that should make it convincing enough, right?"

"Well," Brock mused, "it's true that my siblings' skin tones are varied, but your eyes–"

"Half brother, then? _Please_?" James begged. "After all, your mother's eyes are unlike anyone else's in your family."

"How do you know what my mother looks like?!" Brock burst out, enraged.

"Oh, uh… Well, you see," James fumbled, "it was actually Jessie and me that were behind your parents' trip, that time when we did the Gym Remodeling thing… With them out of the way it would've been easier, but then of course you showed up and ruined that scheme…" By now James was mumbling almost inaudibly, but Brock had heard enough to know what he was talking about.

"Figures," Brock sighed in exasperation, remembering what a fiasco that had turned out to be; if he had known the Pewter Gym had been so horrendously redecorated _again_, he never would have brought Ash and his friends, May and Max, with him to visit his family. "Oh, boy… We'll have to really work hard, or else we'll never be able to pull this off."

Hearing this, James leapt up and began jumping for joy, happy tears streaming down his cheeks. "YAY! Oh, thank you so much! I'll be forever in your debt!"

"We've got a long way to go, you know… You need to fake an entire history, and it has to be something simple enough that you can remember, but believable enough that people will fall for it without asking too many questions."

"Wait a minute, what do you mean, simple enough that I can remember?" James looked somewhat hurt. "Are you saying I wouldn't be able to remember a complex cover story?"

"Not at all; what I'm saying is it needs to be close enough to the truth that if you _slip up_," Brock said, knowing full well it was likely to happen sooner or later, "it won't be too difficult to claim that you were just misheard."

Hearing this, James blushed. "I see your point…"

"Okay, first stop is the store, then we'll go back to my house," Brock said. As he started to continue on his way, James fell into step behind him. After a minute or so, Brock looked over his shoulder to see James still following him. Grinning, he said, "You don't have to walk behind me, you know."

"Huh?" James seemed confused.

"If we're gonna be like brothers you should get used to walking side by side." At this, James' face split into a wide grin and he quickened his pace to catch up. Brock couldn't help but smile and laugh to himself.

Upon reaching the store, Brock went in while James stood outside; being in his Team Rocket uniform, he couldn't really go into a store without causing a panic. When Brock came back out, his arms laden with paper bags, he looked around for James; he was standing with his back to the wall just around the corner from the entrance.

"J-J?" Brock called. "J-J! Now where did he disappear to…?" He started walking back toward home, and then he saw James out of the corner of his eye. Turning to him, he said, "J-J, there you are! Why didn't you answer me?"

James was dumbfounded. "I… I didn't… you were calling for me?"

"Who else?" Brock said with a grunt as he shifted his load, dropping one of the bags into James' arms. He nodded slightly, then turned around and kept walking. Suddenly, James realized what Brock had been saying: "J-J" was to be his name from now on – simple enough to remember, believable enough to be convincing, and close enough to the truth.


	2. Barely Recognizable

**A/N: This story is written in short installments, but posting the first two chapters together means you've now got half of what I have done so far. I wouldn't ordinarily post more than one at a time (except for my drabbles), but I felt obliged to give you the part that explains his new appearance; I gave LostInTheDreams the first paragraph of this chapter when I asked her to make the picture**** that I am using as the cover art for this fic. In case you're reading this, LITD, thanks again! :)**

* * *

Once Brock was done with him, "J-J" was barely recognizable; his hair was no longer the cool lavender shade it had once been, nor did it fall to his shoulders. Instead, it was a dull brown that only hung as far as his temples and, despite James' whining, Brock insisted upon cutting off completely the strand that had constantly hung in front of his face. In place of his Team Rocket uniform, he now wore a dark green shirt and an old pair of brown pants that used to be Brock's. He also borrowed an extra pair of blue and white sneakers.

Looking over himself, J-J sighed. "I guess this will do… I look a little bit like you."

"Not much," Brock said, arms crossed, as he absently tapped the comb in his left hand against his arm. "The point is, you don't look like yourself anymore, and that's what we were going for." Brock reached toward J-J's head again, and when J-J caught sight of the scissors in Brock's right hand, he recoiled.

"You've done enough!" J-J cried, his hands flying up as though to protect his scalp.

Brock sighed. "Yeah, alright. I guess there's not much else I _can_ do." He put down the comb and scissors and went to grab his things so they could get going.

J-J breathed a sigh of relief, then ran his fingers through his unusually short hair. "Oh, if my parents could see me now…"

"They will," Brock replied, looking up from packing his bag.

"WHAT?!" J-J yelped. "NO! That wasn't part of the agreement!"

"Would you calm down?" Brock said, placing his hands cajolingly on J-J's heaving shoulders. "You're gonna have to see them about getting Growlie."

J-J instantly became still. "Growlie?" he said, his tone nervous, almost worried.

"Yes," Brock said, "Growlie. He will be your Pokémon."

"But I've got Mime Jr–"

Brock shook his head. "He's too easily recognizable. I'm sorry."

J-J bowed his head and stared at the floor, looking sullen. "And… Carnivine.…?" He asked halfheartedly, already knowing what the answer was going to be.

"_W__ay_ too noticeable." Brock raised his eyebrows and asked, "How many Carnivine do you think there are out there who bite their trainers' heads? There's no way."

"It's just that… Growlie…" J-J sniffled, then looked up with tears in his eyes. "Growlie is looking after my parents for me… I won't just take him away…"

Brock's expression changed, and he looked hard at J-J. "_Won't_? Or _can't_?" J-J said nothing, but turned his eyes away from Brock's stare. "You _can't_ take him, can you? You never caught him in a Poké Ball, right?"

"Alright, fine, you win!" J-J burst out sobbing. "I can't stand the thought of keeping him in a Poké Ball! Are you happy?"

"You don't have to," Brock whispered.

J-J quieted immediately. "What?" he asked meekly.

"You don't have to keep him in a Poké Ball," Brock said, still in a whisper.

Those ten words worked like magic; instantly, J-J's face was dry, his mouth turned up in a smile, and his hands formed determined fists. "Alright, let's go then! To my parents' estate to pick up Growlie, and then to Nanny and Pop-Pop's to leave Carnivine and Mime Jr.!" He turned to Brock and held out his hand. "Agreed?"

Brock shook hands and smiled. "Agreed," he said.

* * *

**A/N: When I first wrote this, no mention had ever been made of Growlie having a Poké Ball. Reading over this again, I'm kicking myself because I can't remember if that has since been refuted. So, on the off chance that I'm wrong about this, just pretend it's AU.**


	3. The Twerp's Pikachu

**A/N: Wow, 2 reviews already! :D Thanks so much!**

**axe021 - Glad I could make you laugh. It _is_ a pretty funny concept, but I thought I could make it work.**

**Fiona Fargazer - Indeed. And, concerning the question of Growlie's Poké Ball, I hear you, but I'm a stickler for canonicity within AUs anyway!**

* * *

"Tell me," J-J said, "why did you say I didn't have to keep Growlie in a Poké Ball? Wouldn't people question whether or not he was really mine?"

The two of them were strolling side by side on the path that J-J had indicated on the map would lead to his parents' mansion. Brock glanced over at him, smiled, and answered simply, "Pikachu."

That's when it occurred to J-J: he couldn't remember ever seeing the twerp's Pikachu in a Poké Ball, but there was never a doubt in anyone's mind whose Pokémon he was. "So, you're saying all I need to do is catch him, right? Then he can be outside of his Poké Ball… indefinitely?"

Brock nodded. "Yep. Ash's Pikachu hasn't been inside his Poké Ball since Ash got him, which gave Ash quite a bit of trouble when they first started out. You see, there were times when Pikachu was in serious danger – serious enough that it seemed the only way to keep him safe would be for him to return – but Ash never forced him to, and after a certain point Pikachu's defiance convinced him to stop trying."

"You're kidding." J-J couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Pikachu actually disobeyed the twerp's orders?"

Brock stopped walking and grabbed J-J's arm to hold him back. When he turned to face him, they were almost nose-to-nose. Brock spoke quietly, deliberately, "His name is Ash, not 'the twerp.' You will _never_ call him that again, because if you do I guarantee it will blow your cover. Understand?"

"Y-yes," J-J whimpered, "okay… 'Ash' it is, then." Despite this, J-J knew that he would always think of him as 'the twerp'; he would just have to be careful not to do so out loud.

"Good," Brock said, releasing J-J's arm and continuing to walk as though nothing had happened.

They kept going in silence for a while before J-J spoke again. "Do you think maybe you could tell me about it? Pikachu not returning to his Poké Ball, I mean."

"Sure," Brock replied, "let me see… Ah, I remember; the first time I ever met Ash, he had come to challenge me for a Boulder Badge. I think he had been a trainer for about two weeks at that point, but he only had three Pokémon: Pikachu, Butterfree, and Pidgeotto. I declared the match two on two, and my Onix gained the upper hand very quickly; Ash's command to use an electric attack was to no avail, and my Onix's Bind was doing a great deal of damage to Pikachu."

J-J listened with rapt attention. Brock paused for dramatic effect, and J-J urged him, "Come on, what happened next?"

Brock continued, "I informed Ash that I really didn't want to hurt his Pikachu, which I had already told him would be no match for me, and said he should forfeit. He didn't want to of course, but when he realized Onix's Bind was preventing him from switching out, he agreed to quit."

"Wow… I never would have imagined that the– uh, that Ash would give up," J-J said.

"Well, he wanted to win, but not as much as he wanted Pikachu to be safe. Anyone could tell that there was no way he could win under those circumstances, so he ended the battle and rescued Pikachu."

"But wait, I thought… Didn't he have your badge? Doesn't that signify a victory?"

"Mm, usually. Ash did come back for a rematch, but he forfeited that one, too."

J-J's eyes went wide. "Twice? He quit the battle _twice_?"

"This time it was to save my Onix, though," Brock said, "because Pikachu's electricity had created a spark that set off the sprinklers." J-J's jaw dropped, but Brock continued as though he didn't notice. "The water weakened my Pokémon, as well as intensifying Pikachu's electric attacks, and he nearly took Onix down despite the type match-up." Now Brock saw J-J's face, so he expounded, "Ash claimed the sprinklers' going off was unfair, and that he wanted to win his badge by a legitimate victory. Before he left town, though, I caught up with him and presented him with the Boulder Badge because of his kindness in not wanting to excessively hurt any Pokémon – his own or an opponent's."

"What a story!" J-J exclaimed, his eyes sparkling. _Who knew the twerp could be so kindhearted?_ he thought to himself before asking Brock, "Can you tell me more?"

"Sure," Brock replied with a short laugh, "after all, from what I can see our destination is still a long way off."

J-J nodded and smiled; despite his uneasiness about meeting his parents after so long, he was really looking forward to seeing his beloved Growlie again. Besides, hearing about the twerp's adventures was making him respect the boy, and even admire him a little bit. He felt that traveling with him would be an enjoyable experience, and one that he was glad he would be undertaking.

* * *

**A/N: Alright, here's where I'm going to actually _demand_ something specific from my readers before I post any more. Don't worry, it's not anything outrageous like "I won't update again until I have 50 reviews" or something. No, what I want to know is****: Does anyone care if I _don't_ go into detail about this trip right away? If I don't do it now, I could always come back to it later in flashbacks or reminiscence or something; it's just that this seems like a nice spot to end at, and then the next part I have written is after they've already done everything they said they were going to do last chapter... I have had it labeled with an underscore rather than a number because it's noncontiguous, but it _would_**** technically ****work as part 4. Honestly, I could go either way, so I want to know what other people think. How about it?**


End file.
